


Harvest Reclaimed

by Witchtomez



Series: Mysme Halloweek 2018 [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, prompt: autumn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 01:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16714312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchtomez/pseuds/Witchtomez
Summary: When the leaves start their gradual transformation from lively green to distinguished gold, Jaehee usually feels a bitter sweetness creeping into her soul.





	Harvest Reclaimed

****

When the leaves start their gradual transformation from lively green to distinguished gold, Jaehee usually feels a bitter sweetness creeping into her soul.

While it was the tail end of the summer rains that took her mother one horrible night, it was the coming of Chuseok almost immediately after that struck her with the weight of loss. The timing of the family holiday seemed to pronounce that she would no longer have the warmth of her parents to celebrate the harvest season again.

Yet, at the tender age of 14, she’d had no time to grieve the way she might have preferred; she would not burden her relatives any more than absolutely necessary–-she vowed this much to herself and her late parents, intending to keep them proud of her by sticking to the manners they raised her to encompass.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried to engage with her cousins and the household that had (begrudgingly) welcomed her, her aunt had never been satisfied with her efforts. Nonetheless, Jaehee had refused to abandon her upbringing and toiled away, intent on perfecting her contributions to the family meals as much as she was able.

When the time came for her to finally depart for university and relieve her relatives of the strain of supporting her, Jaehee had hoped that might have been enough to lighten her aunt’s temperance.

She hadn’t " _been away long enough to be missed"_ according to her uncle as he stammered apologies through the phone-–she had smiled softly then, appreciating her Uncle’s consideration for her feelings and decided that it was enough. Saving him from further discomfort, she merely reassured him that perhaps she could impress his wife the next year with some newly learned recipes that she could share.

By the next harvest season, there had not even been a phone call–-but by then it was fine. Jaehee had simply busied herself with finding ways to advance her education and research potential companies to seek employment with as soon as she was certified. This was a far more productive use of her time, she was certain.

’ _After all_ ’, she had reasoned, _‘who benefits from wallowing in sorrow and tears for hours on end?’_

She allowed herself a small period to release some of her tears once she’d hiked to the top of the local mountain range, breathed in the cool air and then turned to head back to her dorm room with renewed resolve. There wouldn’t be many autumns left in which she would be a burden to anyone.

…

True enough, once she’d attained enough credits to graduate, she had already begun submitting her meticulously tailored resume’ to the companies that had made her Top 8 list in terms of pay, benefits and retirement packages–and had heard back from her top 3 just before her graduation ceremony. The response had buoyed her hopes in that she might finally have something to tell her aunt that would make her at least content if not maybe just a tiny bit proud.

_“So what? You think you’re something special, bragging before you’ve been accepted anywhere yet? Don’t get such a big head before you’ve even gotten a paycheck for being some lecherous CEO’s coffee girl! Unbelievable!”_

* * *

Jaehee did not bother calling the following Harvest celebration. She simply decided she would find a new way to enjoy the holiday, especially after coming across an aspiring stage actor's clips on Tripter–-he was so young, but so passionate! After looking into his past from the scant information available, she determined his strength in face of the adversity in enduring unsupportive family members.

In spite of his young age and the difficulty that transpired in striking out so early, watching him come to life on the stage like he was born for that purpose alone…it awakened such a profound sense of revelation in her very soul and she realized that somehow, Jaehee no longer felt completely _alone_. The gaping ache of loneliness she had ignored, even through the course of a fairly long relationship–-it wasn’t gone completely, but...the weight of grief began to feel lighter finally.

She would support this blessed man and his carefully cultivated talent to the very end, if only to show some small gratitude for the inspiration and reprieve he had unknowingly given her: if Zen could make it without his family’s support, then Jaehee would also find the strength to do well with the cards she had been dealt.

.

.

.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined there would be a day she would be close enough to actually voice her deepest gratitude to her idol-–not that she had actually come out and done so _yet_ …but the point was that she _could_ someday.

For now, she would simply learn how to find her place in this group she was basically shoved into by her employer, this R.F.A. The founder seemed nice enough, which was surprising given her friendship with her rather stoic boss–-in fact, both V and Rika seemed infinitely warmer than their friend, yet when Jaehee observed the three of them together, she could almost see a glimmer of fondness behind the rigid pin stripes and cuff links…a small smile tinged with a whisper of envy tugged at her lips.

“Ohh, Jaehee-noona! You’re so good at making songpyeon! Rika-noona, come look!”

Blinking owlishly at the youngest member of the group, Jaehee became flustered at the excited praise though it was refreshingly welcome.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m only doing what was always expected of me when I was with…my family,” she replied, handing over a finished bamboo steamer basket to the enthusiastic Yoosung who scurried off to show his cousin.

“Ooh-–what an advanced OS you run on! I wonder if I can put it in a robocat…”

The fluttering in her stomach from before was doused quickly. Fixing the redhead with a flat look, she sighed.

“Well, if you’re not hungry, Luciel…you needn’t force yourself for my sake.”

His golden eyes crinkled behind his strange striped frames, but he grinned just as long slender fingers reached out and flicked his forehead.

“Gaaahh! Zennyyyyy, you’re so mean!” He whined; Zen merely folded his arms, unimpressed.

“You think that’s mean? More than talking to our new member like she’s the robot instead of Mr. Trustfund kid? And where have you been while we’re all making the food for tonight?”

Feigning dramatic tears, Luciel spun before extracting a half crushed bag of what looked to be chips from his robes.

“I’ve been contributing! I even brought my own treasured stash of Honey Buddha to improve the batter for the modeumjeon and nokdujeon–”

“Don’t you dare, that oily mess will bring bad luck to our pores!” the older man warned, flipping his silver ponytail over his shoulder irately. Jaehee nodded, her hands reaching for the daikon to prepare the soup.

Luciel paused in mid-flourish, darting his eyes back shiftily.

“…so you wouldn’t want it as seasoning either?”

Both Jaehee and Zen went rigid as Luciel stood and opened his bag, digging around for a solid chip.

“…You didn’t…”

Jaehee wiped her hands and set the towel down.

“Don’t worry, I’ll look over the dishes and see what can be salvaged,” she reassured, turning quickly before a hand on her wrist stopped her.

“No way, Jaehee, you’ve been doing so much since even before you got here! We’ll handle this–it’s not fair to pile all the work onto a lady, especially to our newcomer. Just sit and relax, ok?"

Zen patted her shoulders appreciatively before turning her toward the courtyard with a gentle squeeze. He released her a second later to chase after the troublemaker in hopes of trashing the rest of his snacks before he could taint anymore dishes with crumbs.

It was a small gesture, but it choked her breath ever so slightly. Feeling awkward, she fidgeted with her hands until another pair wrapped softly around her upper arm. Turning to her side, she was met with a bright smile and cascading blonde hair, coiled in a braid.

"Jaehee-–come look at the moon, it’s so big and beautiful it makes you feel warm just looking at it, doesn’t it?”

Before she could respond, she was bustled to a nearby bench and smoothing her skirts around her as she turned her gaze upward.

The moon certainly was gorgeous; huge and glowing gold in the clear night sky with just wispy clouds drifting by. Yet this year, when Jaehee looked at the moon, she didn’t feel the familiar sting of having to gaze by herself; being so flustered by the activity around her got in the way of any moments of sudden melancholy.

Jaehee Kang had lost a lot up to this point: her parents; her sense of belonging; more recently, her hair as part of her unusual employment requirements–and lots of sleep from learning how to exceed in the corporate world.

But this night, Jaehee realized that amidst all the work, the smiling faces and even the teasing–she did feel a bit warmer. She wouldn’t dare call this a family just yet, but…

She admitted that she felt not quite so _out of place_ anymore.

“Jaehee-noona, Rika-noona! Would you like some tea? Seven didn’t put anything weird in this one, I checked!” Yoosung offered the ceramic cups of steaming brew, spilling a little but careful not to harm anyone by keeping the tea set on the tray.

Jaehee received her cup and hid a small smile behind the rim.

It wasn’t a family yet, but it was where she thought she might belong.

And that was enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> For a guide to all the traditional Chuseok dishes, please have a look [here!](https://www.koreanbapsang.com/category/traditional-holiday-food/chuseok-korean-thanksgiving/)


End file.
